The Centre Hall of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Centre Hall of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.

Photo: Spud Hilton, The Chronicle

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A display of motorcycles at the Riverside Museum, which highlights Glasgow’s transportation heritage.

A display of motorcycles at the Riverside Museum, which highlights Glasgow’s transportation heritage.

Photo: Spud Hilton, The Chronicle

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The Templeton Building in Glasgow, once known as the Templeton Carpet Factory and modeled after the Doge’s Palace in Venice.

The Templeton Building in Glasgow, once known as the Templeton Carpet Factory and modeled after the Doge’s Palace in Venice.

Photo: Spud Hilton, The Chronicle

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A 1934 Bentley is among the vintage cars on display at the Riverside Museum, which highlights Glasgow’s transportation heritage.

A 1934 Bentley is among the vintage cars on display at the Riverside Museum, which highlights Glasgow’s transportation heritage.

Photo: Spud Hilton, The Chronicle

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One Day, One Place: Exploring visual culture of Glasgow

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Once the fourth-largest city in Europe (after London, Paris, and Berlin), Glasgow became a major trade center in the 17th century because of its position on the River Clyde. Rich with varied cultures and ideas from this early time, the city grew to become internationally known as a center for contemporary visual and performing arts, architecture and design. Still very much a capital of culture, Glasgow honors its past while looking ahead to the future, and is far less crowded than Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh.

With more than 20 museums and art galleries, it’s easy to spend a week in Glasgow merely touring them. If you don’t have that luxury, be sure to spend the morning at the Riverside Museum and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. A radical space on the banks of the River Clyde and designed by architect Zaha Hadid, the Riverside Museum highlights Glasgow’s transport heritage with an array of objects from strollers to skateboards and vintage cars to powerful trains. Just outside is where the Tall Ship, Glenlee, is berthed — the U.K.’s only floating Clyde-built sailing ship.

The collections at Kelvingrove, one of Scotland’s most popular free attractions, are extensive — from natural history to arms and armor to fine art. Among its more than 8,000 objects, the most famous painting on display here is the Salvador Dali masterpiece “Christ of St. John of the Cross,” but airplane enthusiasts will also enjoy the Spitfire LA198 hanging in the West Court.

For a glimpse of one of the city’s most famous buildings, wander by the Glasgow School of Art, housed in what’s often considered the masterpiece of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Built from 1897 to 1909, the building was damaged by a fire in 2014 and is currently undergoing restoration.

MIDDAY

The Glasgow Green curves along the north bank of the River Clyde, within walking distance of the city center. The 136-acre site, established in the 15th century, is Glasgow’s oldest park. On days with good weather, enjoy the outdoors with a walk through the park. A great reward at the end of your ramble is a tour of the WEST Brewery, or skip the tour and grab lunch and a few tastes of “Glaswegian Heart, German Head” beer at WEST on the Green, in the Templeton Building (once known as the Templeton Carpet Factory and modeled after the Doge’s Palace in Venice) with views of the park.

AFTERNOON

Glasgow has been a thriving center for music for more than 100 years, and known for the beginnings of artists and bands like Donovan, Oasis, Simple Minds, and Franz Ferdinand. It’s no wonder that Glasgow was named the U.K.’s first UNESCO City of Music. Get a walking tour of cherished venues that boosted the city’s musical history on one of the Glasgow Music City Tours. Hit Glasgow’s Music Mile, a whistle-stop guide around the city center from Glasgow Royal Concert Hall to King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut (where Oasis was signed in 1993). Or, choose the Merchant City Music Past and Present tour, which features veteran venues that have found a new lease on life.

EVENING

Catch an event at the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall, the world’s oldest surviving music hall. Opened in 1857, the venue featured some of the biggest names on the Scottish and London music hall circuit, including Dan Leno, Harry Champion, Charles Coburn, Marie Loftus, Vesta Tilley, Ella Shields, Jack Buchanan, Harry Lauder, Archie Leech (Cary Grant) and most famously, Stan Laurel — who made his debut there in 1906. It survived until 1938, when it was closed and converted into a workshop (and chickens were farmed there during World War II, to provide fresh eggs during the war). The restored hall now features film and variety show nights for Glasgow residents and those passing through town.